On the trail at Tyler State Park

Whenever my family would go camping, me, dad, mom and brother Scott would head out to Tyler State Park.

We'd pitch a tent in the Sumac Bend camping area, swing on the vines, hike, fish and eat more hot dogs and beans than any person should.

You know, things that families should do.

So it was just natural that our next hiking trip -- my daughter and I -- would head out to Tyler to visit old stomping grounds.

On this visit, we hiked the park's Nature Trail, the trailhead being right near the park's entrance. The park has longer trails, but we're saving those for when it gets cooler.

Speaking of -- when we started on down the trail, the temperature, humidity, and the breezes were just perfect, but as we descended down the path and into the woods, it got so humid that one of my camera lenses fogged up.

And I hate foggy lenses.

Anyways, it was an enjoyable short little hike, just long enough to clear the cobwebs from our brains and talk about the future, the past, and to wish we were elves making our way back home to Rivendell.

Tyler State Park -- we'll be back.

Hiking at Cooper Lake State Park

An early-morning storm moved through looking to cancel our hiking trip to Cooper Lake State Park, but the rain stopped, the sun came out, and my daughter and I donned our hiking shoes and headed outside.

Of course the nature trail was muddy, and in some places covered with standing water, but it was passable -- and a little bit of water never hurt anyone.

The park is pretty easy to find.

As long as you can find Sulphur Springs and go north from there -- assuming that you know which way's north -- you can't miss it.

Well, I'm sure you COULD miss it, but there are some signs, and as long as you can read, you'll be fine.

Cooper Lake State Park is divided by the lake. There's the South Sulphur Unit and the Doctors Creek Unit. Since the nature trail is at the Doctors Creek Unit, we went there. (I have no idea who The Doctor is, but that's a different story.)

Price to get into the park was $5 per person, but since I recently purchased a Texas Parks & Wildlife yearly pass, we got in free.

The trail is pretty flat and easy to follow, but the BEST part was running into wildlife!

First, we ran into some spider webs. Beckster wanted to know why someone couldn't come out first thing in the morning and dust for those, and since I didn't have an answer, she picked up a stick and did the job herself.

Next, we saw a bunny rabbit scoot off into the woods.

I actually just saw its tail, but it was enough to convince me that, yes, it was indeed a bunny rabbit.

And what was chasing that poor little bunny?

How cool is THAT?

OK, maybe not so cool for the bunny, but WE were amazed.

And then it got even better. 

That owl was HUGE.

Well, it might not LOOK huge in this photo, but that's because I don't have the best lens for the job. Maybe if my wife sees how far away that owl looks, and how close it COULD look if I had the right lens, maybe she'll agree that a better lens would be MUCH better than a couple of months worth of groceries, or several house payments.

Surely she can see the logic in it.

Anyways, Beck and I had a wonderful morning at the park, and so could you -- if you'd just...

GO OUTSIDE!

 

On The Trail at Daingerfield State Park

The last several days have been miserable in East Texas.

Cold. Rainy. Thunderstorms. Lightning. Hail. With just a “tease” of warmth here and there.

But the weekend turned out glorious, and glorious weekends deserve to be spent outside.

Daingerfield State Park is just a 30-minute drive from the house, so Becky and I laced up our hiking boots, packed some water, and headed out for a little daughter/father bonding time with Mother Nature.

 

We started out our trail-breaking quite late – around 3 in the afternoon – with a clear sky and a bit of chill in the air. Pretty much a perfect day. The trail is about 2.5 miles long around the lake, clearly marked, and has some gentle hills to climb. We made it around in about 2 hours, just strolling and stopping to take plenty of photos.

But that’s just technical info.

The REAL fun began the moment my daughter agreed to go with me.

Hiking with your children is more than just covering the distance in the quickest amount of time so you can get back home to watch your favorite TV show.

It’s about discovering who this young person is – what they dream about, their goals, their likes and dislikes.

It’s about finding out who their friends are.

How they feel about school and their teachers.

It’s about discovering who they have a crush on.

About what music they listen to.

It’s about making a connection with a person who will always be a part of yourself until the day they put you in the earth.

And on that day, she’ll remember you spent a day hiking with her instead of being at work or glued to the TV set.

And maybe she’ll say something nice about you.

 

About how you two walked the trail at Daingerfield State Park, on a chilly day in February, just you and her.

You won’t be there to hear it, but it’s nice to know anyways.

 

On The Trail at Lake Bob Sandlin

When you get that urge to get off the couch, head outside, and enjoy the great outdoors, it's best to just forget about anything else you "have" to do, and get up and GO.

That's exactly what Becky, my daughter, and I did today. We headed out to Lake Bob Sandlin State Park to hike their 4.5 hiking trail.

It was 10 a.m. and 40F by the time we arrived at the trailhead, and a brisk breeze was making it a bit chilly -- but we knew it wouldn't take long for us to warm up.

The trail is well marked, flat for the most part with a few steep bits to get your heart pumping, and quiet. We didn't see much wildlife, but we did hike past a primitive composting toilet "shack" that Becky wouldn't have used if I'd given her all the money in the world.

(I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm a guy.)

There's a trout fishing pond beside the trail and we stopped their for a little rest and swig of water. A group of Boy Scouts were trying their luck fishing, and some of the boys were students at the school where I teach. After a quick "hello" and "how do you do?", Becky and I headed on down the trail.

"We go to Wal-mart, and everybody knows you. We go on a hike, and everybody knows you," Becky said. "How is that?"

I replied, "I'm just awesome."

We made it around the trail in a little less than two hours and I learned three things along the way:

1. Being outside is better than being inside.

2. Spending time with your family is time well spent.

3. I need to get in shape.